A meaningful farewell is your gift to them

Covid has taught us many things as it has impacted upon so many areas of our lives however, not all the lessons have been new ones. The classic one is also the line in Jodi Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone”.

Covid reminded us of this very starkly when at Level 4 Lockdown, funerals were not allowed. To make matters worse, neither were viewings. In fact, the reality for over 4,000 families was that they were unable to say goodbye to their loved ones in the way they wanted to. They were denied the basic human right of grieving with the deceased, of seeing a loved one laid to rest, of placing a flower on a coffin surrounded by family and friends. From research, we know that to deny a meaningful farewell leads to a poor grieving process and subsequent issues with mental well-being. The New Zealand Influenza Pandemic Plan recognises this, stating that funerals should not be cancelled because of the medium to long-term mental health impact. Yet they were, and only time will tell if the price those families paid was worthwhile. The line of that song rang true for them as much as it has done for other families in recent times. We have all seen the desperation of the Pike River families to be able to farewell their loved ones, something currently denied to them. What do your loved ones need when you are gone? A meaningful farewell is your gift to them. A pre-arrangement allows your loved ones to gather together, support one another, remember and celebrate your life without the responsibility of making difficult choices in very emotional circumstances. What we also need to know is that we don’t have to wait to give that gift, we can do so

David Moger

CEO of the Funeral Directors Association.

now. It’s as simple as taking the time to talk to family, friends and your Funeral Directors Association funeral director. Only they are your assurance of a meaningful farewell, and that assurance goes beyond the skills and expertise they have, the professional standards they commit to as a member and the inspection monitoring they go through. That assurance also extents to how it can be paid for. Your Funeral Directors Association member will not only help you to work out the details of your meaningful farewell, but will also be perfectly transparent in telling you what that would cost you today. The question then becomes what do you do about that? For some people, the cost of that meaningful farewell is manageable, usually through the estate but even if that is the case, it is worth putting that aside somewhere, so it is easily identifiable and separate. Currently, the first $10,000 put aside into a pre-paid funeral arrangement plan is deducted from assets for Aged Care Allowance, which may be a helpful side benefit. A meaningful farewell is your gift to them. A prearrangement allows your loved ones to gather together, support one another, remember and celebrate your life without the responsibility of making difficult choices in very emotional circumstances. ”

For others, the cost needs careful planning. Insurance is an option as it provides an immediate death benefit if the pre-arrangement is needed early but over time insurance can be a very costly option if you live longer than the insurance actuaries calculate, and premiums exceed the sum insured. The big issue is that if you cancel at that point, you lose the cover and are worse off than you started with no cover and all those premiums wasted. They are not wasted as far as the insurance companies are concerned though. Remembering that insurance companies with shareholders want to make a profit to declare dividends to their shareholders, so they will offer a product that creates that profit. After all, it is why they exist. So where does that leave someone who doesn’t have the full amount of cash sitting in a bank account and wants to provide for their meaningful farewell, but doesn’t want to get caught in the premium trap of insurance contracts? The answer lies in The Funeral Trust: www.thefuneraltrust.co.nz. The Funeral Trust has been set up by the Funeral Directors Association to do two things: • Keep prepaid funeral contributions safe and secure • Over time to maintain the purchasing power of those funeral contributions. Your contributions are kept safe by being held under a trust, separate from the funeral director, with a strong governance structure. Over time, the purchasing power of your funeral contributions is maintained by investing all the funds across a mixture of asset classes, which enables the Trustees each year to apply a Funeral Inflation Adjustment to your contributions, designed to offset the inflation, specifically on funerals. This is not an investment product. There is no interest. There is no tax paid to the IRD on the Funeral Inflation Adjustment and most importantly there are no fees charged to your account. Each year, on the advice of the scheme actuary, the Trustees identify what inflation there has been and make an inflation adjustment to your contribution that over time is intended to maintain its purchasing power. So, for those who don’t have sufficient funds to put aside available right now, The Funeral Trust is shortly going to launch a new option so you can make contributions either via your credit card or via automatic payment for whatever frequency and amounts you want. Taking a little poetic license with the line in Jodi’s song, using The Funeral Trust to gift your meaningful farewell to them now means “you do know what you’re giving when you’re gone”! CT

John Rhind Funeral Directors

–playing a vital role in the Christchurch community

John Rhind Funeral Directors, established in 1881, has compassionately served generations of Christchurch families and retains a special connection with many of the city’s residents today.

John Rhind understands that organising funeral can be a trying time for a family, but it is also an opportunity to organise a memorable service to celebrate the life of a loved one.

“A funeral is a tribute and a celebration of life, bringing family and friends together at a time of mutual sadness. By sharing their sorrow and paying true tribute, it can help them look ahead to the future.” – John Rhind website

140 Years in Christchurch

Not many companies can claim to have served Christchurch for well over a century. John Rhind has built a strong reputation and a certain rapport with its customers who appreciate the dignified manner in which they handle funeral services.

General manger Tony Garing says the company can be as versatile and diverse in the way it handles funerals as anyone. “We can offer traditional, modern or alternative funerals - we can tailor our services to suit the client.”

This onsite catering is an important aspect of John Rhind’s services which can be completely tailored to suit dietary and or budgetary needs of the guests.

The professional, experienced team at John Rhind can help plan and conduct a memorable funeral from casket selection to catering. With 130 years of industry experience the company has become a benchmark for high standards which even extends to the selection of the hearse. “We run a varied fleet of vehicles, from the ultra-modern imported Cadillac to a recently restored classic 1974 LTD hearse –it’s another example of our range of choice,” Garing says.

Continuing tradition

After 140 years, Tony Garing is quick to point out the reasons for the continued success. “Our staff are amazing, we have three of the Rhind family still working in the business, representing the fifth generation to do so. We have a lot of long serving staff including funeral directors that have been present for generations of the same families, that’s comforting for those people.”

Being a long serving company has allowed John Rhind to evolve into the brand it represents today, a brand distinguished by quality and its undeniable longevity.

Award winning grounds

The London Street chapel is famed for its gloriously well kept gardens which befit the beauty and grandeur of the John Rhind premises. During the years the company has been the recipient of numerous awards for its manicured gardens which offer an added sense of comfort for the guests.

All aspects of the John Rhind service are conducted to meet the needs of their clients during an emotional time, but the comfort of having a loved one’s funeral organised by a company that has served the Canterbury community for 140 years, is priceless.

John Rhind Funeral Directors 15-19 London Street Christchurch T (03) 379 9920 www.johnrhind.co.nz

At Rhinds, it’s the extra service that makes the difference

Our team is passionate about providing a professional and caring service, helping families design a funeral service that is a unique and personal remembrance, while providing the highest standard of service. Our commitment is to listen, guide you through the options and then take care of all the details to make the funeral service meaningful. We understand the needs of families and friends going through the stress of a bereavement.) 15-19 London Street, Chris tchurch • (03) 379 9920 • ww w.johnrhind.co.nz